Kevin Stefanski Fired by Browns Despite Winning 2 NFL Coach Awards, GM Berry to Return

Kevin Stefanski is out as the Cleveland Browns head coach.

The Browns announced Monday they fired Stefanski after six seasons at the helm.

"We have tremendous gratitude for Kevin's leadership of the Cleveland Browns over the last six seasons," team owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said. "He is a good football coach and an even better person. We appreciate all his hard work and dedication to our organization but our results over the last two seasons have not been satisfactory, and we believe a change at the head coaching position is necessary. We wish Kevin, Michelle and the Stefanski family all the best in the future."

The Haslams also confirmed general manager Andrew Berry will remain in his role.

"Andrew will immediately begin our thorough process to find an outstanding new head coach and leader of our football team," they said. "We have an exciting young core to build upon, and Andrew and his team are intent on adding talent to this core and building out a roster that can achieve sustainable success."

Stefanski, 43, had been with the Browns since 2020. Before his time in Cleveland, he had spent his entire career with the Minnesota Vikings, most recently serving as the team's offensive coordinator before landing the job with the Browns.

Stefanski's run started off strong, as he led them to an 11-5 finish, snapping a 17-year postseason drought and giving Cleveland its first playoff win since 1994. The Browns had gone 6-10 in the season prior to Stefanski's arrival. He was named the NFL Coach of the Year for his efforts in 2020.

However, Stefanski was unable to build on a strong first season, and Cleveland proceeded to miss the postseason in 2021 and 2022, finishing with records of 8-9 and 7-10 in those seasons, respectively.

The Browns managed to bounce back in 2023, going 11-6 and reaching the playoffs thanks to a surprising stretch from Joe Flacco and a Defensive Player of the Year campaign from Myles Garrett. The playoff berth earned Stefanski his second Coach of the Year nod.

The 2024 season saw Cleveland return to its old ways, as the Browns went 3-14, marking their worst record since 2017. It was more of the same in 2025 as Cleveland finished 5-12.

Now, the Browns have decided they want a fresh start, ending an up-and-down six seasons for Stefanski.

Stefanski found success in Cleveland with rosters that were far from playoff contenders, so he's set himself up well to land with another NFL team soon, either as a head coach or a coordinator.